as in preacher
a person specially trained and authorized to conduct religious services in a Christian church
searched for a priest who could perform an exorcism
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of priest
When services were finished the defendant followed the priest into a restricted area, Manley said.
—
City News Service, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
The archdiocese has just over 100 priests and around half are retired, though some continue to serve.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Mar. 2026
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994 and served as vicar general and pastor of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary before his 2021 appointment to Colorado Springs, according to the archdiocese.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2026
The mystery of how the priest ended up in the pool is, we’re told in voice over by the dead man himself, played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, will be solved over the next six episodes.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for priest
City News Service, Oc Register, 28 Mar. 2026
The archdiocese has just over 100 priests and around half are retired, though some continue to serve.
—Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Mar. 2026
He was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Grand Island in 1994 and served as vicar general and pastor of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary before his 2021 appointment to Colorado Springs, according to the archdiocese.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 26 Mar. 2026
The mystery of how the priest ended up in the pool is, we’re told in voice over by the dead man himself, played by Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, will be solved over the next six episodes.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for priest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for priest
Noun
-
His father, much older than his mom, was a preacher who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps.—
Vinson Cunningham,
New Yorker,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Moreover, as soon as Christianity began to spread outside his native land, Christian converts faced new situations in unexpected contexts, completely different from those of their founder, an itinerant Jewish preacher in the sparsely populated hinterlands of rural Galilee.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Thousands gathered in Baghdad and across a number of other Iraqi provinces yesterday to demonstrate against the US-Israeli war with Iran after the powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on people to protest.—
Billy Stockwell,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Iran’s supreme leader is now the cleric Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who was assassinated late last month.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
31 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The clergyman warns that failure to do so would jeopardize the future of Iran as well as the stability of the entire Middle East, unleashing an even more volatile and repressive regime in the war’s wake.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
The clergyman warned, however, that failure to do so would jeopardize the future of Iran and the stability of the entire Middle East, unleashing an even more volatile and repressive Tehran government in the war’s wake.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The 1,400-year-old artifact was recently found in the ancient city of Hippos, a prominent bishop's seat during the Byzantine era, according to a March 30 press release shared with Fox News Digital.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Robert Barron is the bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester and the founder of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries.—
Robert Barron,
Washington Post,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Amid an ongoing court battle over clergy access to the west suburban ICE facility, Catholic ministers entered the building and, in the traditional Holy Thursday ritual, washed the feet of 14 detainees.—
Tess Kenny,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
On Friday, Khalid Aleisir, the minister of culture, information, antiquities and Tourism condemned the attack and called for designating the RSF a terrorist organization and prosecuting its members.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In 2010 then-primate Nicholas Okoh endorsed the ordination of women as deacons, though only in limited forms of ministry such as service in hospitals or schools.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Still, Jos Valke, a deacon at the church of Wolder in Maaschtrict, described their shock at the discovery.—
Eleanor Beardsley,
NPR,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The pastor said that over the past decade or so, the church has sent thousands of illicit Bibles in Farsi to Iran with a WhatsApp number written inside, so the retriever overseas can call or text for more information.—
Angie Leventis Lourgos,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Stephen Mitchell is the senior pastor of Trinity Bible Church in Severna Park.—
Stephen Mitchell,
Baltimore Sun,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The reverend in charge of the largest cathedral in the Episcopal Diocese of Pittsburgh has resigned after being arrested and accused of stealing more than $1,000 worth of baseball trading cards.—
Andy Sheehan,
CBS News,
16 Mar. 2026
-
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa thanked the late reverend for his work to end South Africa’s apartheid system.—
Matt Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Priest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/priest. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
